Gallery History
Founded in 1988 Caylus is a Madrid based art gallery that deals mainly in Spanish and Italian Old Masters, from Gothic to the Romantic period. We exhibit at mayor international fairs such as TEFAF Maastricht since 1999 and is a member of the Círculo Velazquez of Museo del Prado, Fundación Amigos Museo del Romanticismo, Fundación Amigos Museo Nacional de Escultura de Valladolid and founding trustees of Fundación Arte Hispánico. Has sponsored several publications such as La Pintura Andaluza del siglo XVII y sus fuentes grabadas by Benito Navarrete.
Caylus has performed some important sales to Spanish and international institutions. The most important was the sale in 2000 of the famous Portrait of the Countess of Chinchón by Goya to the Prado. Other works by Goya sold in the past are: Selfportrait at the easel (Museo Del Prado), Hercules and Omphale (Madrid, private collection) and Portrait of Luis María de Borbón y Vallábriga as child to the Fundación Plaza Museo de Zaragoza.
In 2002 Caylus sold to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias the famous Apostolado San Feliz, a complete set of the twelve apostles by El Greco that had remained since the late nineteenth century in this noble family. Also by El Greco the gallery has sold in the past: Bust of Christ in oval (private collection, France) and The Tears of St. Peter to the Museo Soumaya México D. F.
Among the Murillos sold in the past stands out Saint Lesmes and The Tears of St. Peter both in the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Francisco de Zurbarán is also present in the history of Caylus, two of the most important ones sold a few years ago are: Saint Francis in Ecstasy (Museo Soumaya Mexico D. F.) and his last Calvary to a London private collector. Three important Renaissance masterpieces handled by the gallery were Juan de Flandes imposing Baptism of Christ and Virgen de la Leche by Pedro Berruguete to the Abelló collection and a late Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo by Bronzino to the JASP collection in Mexico D. F. Jusepe de Ribera’s monumental Rest in the Flight to Egypt sold to the Fondo Cultural Villar-Mir was the most important work by the Españoleto in the gallery’s hands.
The latest sales include the Portrait of the Marquise of Espeja by Federico de Madrazo and The Penitent Magdalene by Alonso Cano (both to the Prado), The Adoration of the Magi by The Master of Sigena and Portrait of Richard Worsham Meade by Vicente López Portaña, both to the Meadows Museum in Dallas that started their long standing relationship with the purchase of Juan Bautista Maino’s Adoration of the Shepherds. The Museo del Romanticismo has recently acquired the Madonna of the Goldfinch by Rafael Tegeo.
Caylus has also recently sold an important group of masterpieces to the Abelló collection including three works by Francisco de Goya: La Cucaña, The Fire, The Assault of the Diligence and a rare still-life by Juan Sanchez Cotán. The last El Greco in the hands of the gallery now in a private NY collection is Saint Jerome and the most recent sales have been the tender Inmaculada niña by a young Diego Velázquez painted in 1616 –now in a Madrid private collection– and a very sensual roman St. Sebastian by Valentin de Boulogne to a Brussels collector.
Apart from European Art Caylus also deals in Master Paintings from Latin America. Among recent institutional sales stands out the monumental The Rising of the Cross by Antonio de Torres bought by the LACMA in 2016. Caylus deals in important early Spanish sculpture and has recently sold to the Museo Nacional de Escultura in Valladolid a terracota group of the Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John by Luisa Roldán, called La Roldana, and a polychrome wood sculpture of St. Joseph with the Child by Pedro de Mena. Old Master Drawings is another area in the gallery’s activities. Stands out the sale of the Alcubierre Album in 2005, the most important historical group of Andalusian drawings assembled at the end of the eighteenth century.
Team
Enrique Gutiérrez de Calderón
Director
José Antonio de Urbina
Director
